Gazprom Sends LNG Shipment To Japan

Russian state gas monopoly Gazprom on Aug. 18 announced it had made its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan, the first step toward what it hopes will be a dominant presence in energy-hungry Asian markets.

Gazprom delivered 145,000 cubic meters of LNG -- the equivalent of about 92 million cubic meters of natural gas -- that it had bought from the Mitsubishi Corporation, it said in a statement. The gas was delivered to the Chita terminal which is operated by the electricity company Chubu Electric.

Mitsubishi, which sold the LNG to Gazprom, has joint LNG operations in Brunei, Malaysia, Oman, Indonesia and other countries. "This successful trading operation between Gazprom and Mitsubishi Corporation is the first step in Gazprom's entry to the LNG market in the Asia-Pacific region," the statement said.

Gazprom made two shipments of LNG to the U.S., where it also hopes to claim a large share of the natural gas market, in late 2005 through a supply swap with Gaz de France. It made a single shipment of LNG to Britain in April 2006.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006